The one guide you'll need to know about the openings coming your way in the week ahead. This week, The Pem gets a top new chef, Professor Green comes to Soho, Island relocates its surf and turf to Clerkenwell and more...
Romy Gill at The Pem
St James - Conrad London St. James, 22-28 Broadway, London SW1H 0BH
This week The Pem gets a full relaunch with top chef (and MBE) Romy Gill taking over. This moves the restaurant's menu in a completely new direction, to regional Indian cooking. Dishes on the new menu include hand-dived scallops with raw mango and sweet date-tamarind as well as ghee-roasted quail alongside Gill's signature butter chicken. It's a big change for the restaurant and could bring it a lot more attention in the coming months.
Opening date: 17 September 2026
Island at George & Dragon
Clerkenwell - 240 St John St, London EC1V 4PH
What was once The Peasant is being relaunched as new pub George & Dragon, from the people behind Mare Street Market. It's also the new home of Island, the collab surf and turf restaurant by Brad Carter and Tom Brown. This could be a much better home for the restaurant than the somewhat cavernous Mare Street Market in King's Cross and Island will both be the restaurant above the pub and serving pub snacks. The excellent Island mixed grill will be making the move and there will also be lots of new dishes, like a steak and lobster pie.
Opening date: 16 September 2026
The Horses
Clerkenwell - 26-28 Ray Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3DJ
This is the latest pub from the people behind The Pelican and The Hart and it's also their first opening in East London (well, as east as Clerkenwell, anyway). Once The Coach and Horses, it's been given the same stripped-back design as their other pubs, all of which have been real lookers. As far as the food goes, it's a seafood-led menu ranging from oysters, langoustine and lobster on the shellfish front to hake, monkfish and Dover sole for mains. There are non-seafood dishes as well, like a potato and wigmore pie and they'll also have snacks for the pub, like mince on toast.
Opening date: Soft launching 14-18 September 2026
PG Proper Good
Soho - 3 Soho St, London W1D 3QF
Professor Green's fast food restaurant has already made its debut in Glasgow, and now he's bringing it to London. It's a build-your-own meal affair, with the starting point being loaded salad, rice or potato puffs, or a South Korean-inspired UFO (a brioche hot roll). Onto that, you can add salmon, chicken, pot roast beef, beans, dips and more and there's also a big focus on electrolyte-heavy drinks and frozen fruit desserts. The man himself will be there helping to launch it this week.
Opening date: 14 September 2026
Marrion's
Hackney - 177 Morning Lane, London E9 6LH
(Delayed from last week) This Hackney bar comes from the same man behind former faux-greasy spoon cafe Norman's. He's taken over the space that was recently Big Night and is launching a new neighbourhood bar there. The list is led by classic cocktails (yes, there is a martini), Spanish beers and a decent wine list. As for snacks, they'll be along the lines of a devilled crab rarebit or pork schnitzel Holstein with a fried egg. Norman's always looked fantastic, so the design of Marrion's should be one to watch too.
Opening date: 17 September 2026
Here's what opened last week
Nakimushi (Notting Hill) - The Dorian team have brought in two chefs to run this ramen/Japanese restaurant in a townhouse.
The Albatross (City of London) - The people behind Wild and Goodman launched a seafood-focused pub.
Le Cafe LPM (Belgravia) - LPM (La Petite Maison) begins a year-long residency at The Lanesborough.
Beefbar at Dear Jackie (Soho) - Beefbar returns to London with s beef-heavy menu inside Broadwick Soho.
This week's events
16 September (Mayfair) - Sushi Kanesaka is bringing in Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens of MUSE for a one-night-only omakase collaboration, joining Head Chef Hirotaka Wada to "pair contemporary British cooking with the precision of Edomae sushi".
18 September (Mayfair) - Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill hosts the London Oyster Championships, with the country's top shuckers competing in a speed-shucking contest before chefs battle it out in the Best Dressed Oyster competition. Tickets are £55, or £95 for VIP including an oyster masterclass.
18-19 September (Whitehall) - Saison by Mauro Colagreco is teaming up with New York favourite Raf's for a two-day residency during London Fashion Week. Expect a collaborative menu combining Raf's Parisian-Italian style with Saison's seasonal cooking, including tuna crudo, lobster Bolognese, chicken cordon bleu, apple tart and more.
19 September (Stratford) - The London Taco Experience returns to Riverside East for a one-day celebration of Mexican street food, with taco traders including MexClub, Nopalito, Awebo!, Polanco, Los Gordos, Tacos MX Official and Carne. Expect birria, al pastor, Baja-style seafood and vegetarian tacos alongside margaritas, tequila, mezcal, hot sauce tastings, DJs and a live Mariachi Band.
19 September (Monument) - Nancy Spains celebrates the halfway point to St Patrick’s Day with Nancy’s Day, a mini Irish music festival taking over its venues from midday, with traditional music, live acts and a late-night party. Expect prizes with every Murphy’s poured, including free pints, branded shirts and £100 bar tabs.
19 September (Blackhorse) - St John is teaming up with 40ft Blackhorse for a beer launch party celebrating three exclusive brews: a 4% lager, 4.4% all-British pale ale and 4.4% cask London bitter. The 40ft kitchen will be serving St John favourites including ox heart buns, Eccles cakes with Lancaster cheese and doughnuts.
19-20 September (Covent Garden) - Kewpie is bringing its KEWPIE IT pop-up to Covent Garden Piazza for a weekend celebrating the Japanese Tamago Sando. Expect an "immersive convenience store-inspired experience", tastings, photo opportunities, giveaways and a limited-edition "Mayozine".
20 September (Exmouth Market) - Moro’s Alumni Series continues with Lucky & Joy’s Ellen Parr joining Sam and Sam Clark for a one-off Sunday lunch combining Chinese flavours with Moro classics. Expect whipped tofu, Sichuan aubergine, beef kofta dumplings, wood-oven pork and lamb ribs, followed by custard and apricot tart. Tickets are £60.
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